U.S., U.K. Reach New Air Travel Agreement for Post-Brexit Era

The United States and the United Kingdom reached an accord on a new open skies agreement that will govern air travel between the two after Britain exits the European Union, the two countries said on Wednesday.

Under the new treaty, aircraft flying from the United Kingdom will maintain the same access to the United States as under the current U.S.-European Union air treaty.

The agreement “will guarantee the continuation of the vital transatlantic routes used by tens of millions of passengers a year, ensuring people can continue to travel easily between the UK and US and maintaining choice and good value travel,” the British government said in a statement.

The United Kingdom will no longer be under the current U.S.-EU treaty after it leaves the European Union.

The move was applauded by the airline industry.

“Today’s announcement provides much needed certainty that when the UK exits the European Union there will be no disruption to air service for the traveling and shipping public,” said Nicholas Calio, CEO of Airlines for America, the trade association representing major U.S. airlines.

Willie Walsh, chairman of Anglo-Spanish IAG, the parent of British Airways, said in a statement that the “agreement is a significant positive development which we welcome.” He said it “facilitates strong competition and is clearly pro-consumer.”

The coronavirus is now affecting 104 countries and territories across the globe and many travelers are postponing or cancelling their travel plans as a result.
In some cases, a traveler is holding off because travel to his destination is simply not possible due to quarantine and containment rules; in others, it’s simply a desire not to go somewhere where one might end up with the coronavirus or trapped in a quarantined …

In early May, Warren Buffett divested all of his investment firm’s holdings in the four major U.S. airlines, warning that the “world has changed” for the aviation industry due to the coronavirus crisis. In mid May, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said he saw a bumpy road ahead for the airline industry and predicted that a major carrier would not survive 2020 as a result.
It appears Buffett and Calhoun were on …